


The Minute Man

by TheJabberwockyandtheJabberjay



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 11:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3977089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJabberwockyandtheJabberjay/pseuds/TheJabberwockyandtheJabberjay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlotte Hill was raised as a spy since she was 7. After flying back from Shanghai, the plane crashes and Charlotte is almost killed. She is saved by a mysterious man who goes by the title of An Auditor of Death or the Minute Man. Charlotte is sent to somewhere in the walls in the year 841 along with four others in the same situation as her. Eventual Levi x OC. Also on Fan fiction.net under the same title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China.  
February 21st 2015  
9:47pm

I looked around the waiting area at the different people who were unaware of my glance. People watching was something I did out of boredom.

Some businessman, some normal families, some people waiting on their own, some with lovers. The similarities between all of these people? They were all people. All of them had been born, all of them will die. Sooner than they thought.

I looked at all of the planes lined up next to one and other illuminated by the lights on the runway and the city lights not too far away. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, will first class and business class passengers boarding the British Airways flight to London Heathrow please go through to board. Thank you." Said a voice in Chinese before talking in English.

I got up and grabbed my bag. I walked over to the desk and handed the woman at the desk my ticket and passport.

She checked my details before looking up and smiled at me.

"Have a safe flight." She said before she held her arm out for the person behind me.

I walked through the gate into the jet bridge before passing a man at the door murmuring 'welcome aboard'. I checked my ticket. 

Seat A4. A window seat. Nice.

I stepped into the first class area and smiled. The seating area was dimly lit with cool blue lights and the seats had small cubicles per passenger. The seats were of a comfortable black leather. There was a blanket and pillow and a small lamp by the bed as well as the entertainment system situated on the chair in front of me.

I sat in the seat and buckled myself in. I wasn't going to put my bag into overhead storage so I kept it by my feet. Inside that bag were documents about the latest mission SOSO sent me on.

SOSO is an organization that uses undercover to gain intelligence before completely removing the bastards involved. SOSO agents can be sent anywhere at anytime. Crime syndicates, religious cults, terrorist organizations, the list goes on as to what we deal with. But I have been bought up by SOSO since I was 7 so for me, it's a way of life.

SOSO agents can go on their first mission aged 10 and can go on their last aged 70. As long as agents are in good condition, we are fit for missions. Plus, you can still go on missions while studying at university (which is what I am doing). Uni wasn't too far from SOSO campus so I didn't have to pay for accommodation. What's even better is SOSO pays tuition fees so uni is free for agents.

My recent mission involved a human trafficking ring that had shipped girls as young as eleven from Eastern Europe to China where the traffickers were located. Rumour had it that a government official was involved in the trafficking, which after my snooping, was discovered to be true. I'm not going to go into details but I've learned that human trafficking is a very messy business to deal with, especially when it involves people of power. 

When I got back, I would have to do a full report on the notes and evidence I had on my laptop. Reports are tedious but when on a mission, you can see the good that you do especially like this one. 

I feel like I've given these women hope for a better future and life instead of being cooped up in some grotty building filled with perverts who had the ability to control what they did using violence and threats.

I got out my iPod and started listening to Chinatown Style by HTRK. The electronic sound used in the song added to the atmosphere. Dark with vivid undertones. I like it when music fits the atmosphere. It makes the world seem more defined and pronounced and that to me is beautiful.

I could faintly hear the beep of the announcement that the plane was ready for take off. I could feel the plane start to move before it completely stopped. It then started going again before picking up speed and then, I felt weightless as the plane started gaining height. After five minutes or so, the unfasten seatbelt sign started flashing.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned my onfilght entertainment machine. I grabbed the remote and started flicking through the films and tv shows on offer. I settled for season 1, 2 and 3 of Sherlock. 

I clicked on the play button for episode one and relaxed. 

An air hostess came over to me around fifteen minutes later with a trolley in tow. I unplugged one earplug and tore my eyes away from John Watson being deduced by Sherlock Holmes for the first time.

"Would madam like a free beverage before her meal?" The air hostess asked

"A rosé, please?" I replied

The air hostess opened her cabinet and got out a small bottle of rosé and a glass. The air hostess then handed me a laminated sheet of paper.

"Here is a menu of what is on offer tonight. A vegetarian and vegan option as well as a gluten free option." 

"Thank you." I said with a smile before the air hostess walked off.

I raised the glass to my lips. The light pink liquid passed my lips and I smiled. I couldn't wait until I got back to London.

I am fluent in both Chinese and English although learning Chinese took around seven years before I could consider myself fluent.

I looked down at the menu and saw Chinese characters on top of the English characters. I grabbed my bag and pulled out my glasses and put them on. As soon as I had read the menu, I had decided on what I wanted. Sweet and sour pork with rice and steamed vegetables and fruit salad for dessert.

The air hostess never came back to give me my dinner. Everything seemed to blur after around five minutes.

It got a bit bumpy which was due to turbulence but nothing could prepare me for what happened next.

I looked out of my window to see dark clouds forming around the plane. I couldn't see a thing. No light from the city below could push through the dense clouds. 

The first thought that came to mind was:

'We're going to be fine.'

I remember hearing the yells from the captain from behind the door. 

Then it hit me.

'If the pilot can't remain calm, what the hell is going on?'

Suddenly, there was a large crashing sound. It happened so quickly. I could hear the sound of metal crashing into metal. It only lasted a few seconds before...

It was silent and it was like time had stopped.

Because it had.

"Charlotte May Hill. Agent for SOSO aged 19, currently studying psychology at the university of Oxford. Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, currently residing in SOSO headquarters, Oxford. Daughter of Caroline Fisher and Arnold Hill, both deceased. Step daughter of Paul Blake, deceased. Sister of James Hill, also deceased. Currently on flight to London Heathrow from Shanghai. Estimated time of death, quarter to eleven. Need I say more?" Said a masculine voice beside me.

I turned to see a middle aged man wearing a suit and bowler hat. He seemed to be bald and there were signs of wrinkling around his green eyes.

"Who are you and how did you know that?" I asked 

"I am an auditor of Death. I control who lives and who dies and who gets special treatment. Like you." He said

"What? Special treatment for what?"

He chuckled darkly.

"This plane has just collided with another which will kill every single passenger and crew member on board. You are being given a choice to stay on this plane and die or go somewhere far from here and live." 

"I don't understand. Why me? Of all people who are on this aircraft. Why me?" 

Another dark chuckle.

"You are the most important person on this flight. You have seen things that people can't imagine in their dizziest of daydreams. You have endured being bitten by the fangs of reality. You have saved lives that were not yours to save. It all adds up. You deserve a second chance so you can save more." 

"What? Where the hell could you send me? Package me up into a lasagne and sell me off to Tesco*?" I asked hoping to somehow make light of the situation.

In all honesty, I was scared. Who was this man? Was the plane really going down in flames? But I kept my voice as level as possible.

"I am neither dream nor reality. I have selected others like you. All believe that they are going to die but are saved at last minute by me. You need to make a choice quickly. I can't stop time for more than three minutes and you are at the two minute marker. What's it going to be, 'Lottie?" He asked

I didn't want to die. Even if this was a fever dream, I wasn't going to die in it.

"I'll go with you." I replied.

"Good choice." The man outstretched his hand.

I grabbed my bag and clutched onto his hand.

It was when I grabbed his hand that time seemed to speed up. I could see a huge ball of fire coming towards us. Then the floor dropped from beneath our feet. I closed my eyes as I felt myself fall. 

I thought this madman told me I was going to live! I was dropping to the ground at a speed I couldn't comprehend. I yelped as that horrid feeling came into my stomach. I felt like throwing up and crying.

I suddenly felt my back hit the soft earth at a slower speed. I opened my eyes and looked around.

"This is not real. It's a dream. A messed up dream." I murmured to myself.

"Afraid it isn't, old bean." Said a voice next to me.

I turned around to see a man of Asian descent kneeling next to me. If I were to put an age on him, I'd guess around 21, maybe 22. He wasn't scared of me. He was more interested into the fact that I was there. He was wearing a flowery shirt and three quarter length beige trousers.

"I guess you're the last one." He said kindly

"Where am I? Who are you?" I asked before slowly sitting up.

The man turned to me and quickly got behind me to steady me as I sat up.

"Ok, easy now. Don't sit up too quickly. You'll be sick otherwise."

Too late.

I felt the contents of my stomach rise up before I turned around and upchucked. The man grabbed my hair and held it back as the wine I had been enjoying as well as a meal I had earlier in the airport made an uncalled for reappearance.

"Please, who are you?" I asked weakly

"The name's Peter. Peter Jung. Over there are Carlos de Santos and Carmen Owens. Oh, and to your left is Terrence Baker. I guess you were saved by the Minute Man too." He said

"The Minute Man?" I asked

"He saved us from death at the last minute. Hence the nickname." Peter said sweetly 

I was able to sit up properly. We were on a grassy surface. More precisely, we were on a hill. There was shade from the sunlight under the tree that we were sitting under.

"Can we have the pleasure of knowing your name?" Peter asked

"Charlotte Hill." I replied

I had a closer look at the people I was with because of this 'Minute Man'.

Carmen was very pretty. She had dark brown hair that was curled and just touched her waist. Her eyes were a pretty shade of green, like a leaf. Her skin was tanned and she had a skinny figure. She too looked around 21. Her smile was kind and she had a dimple on her left cheek.

Carlos had black hair and tanned skin. His eyes were brown and his dark hair was in a messy tousled style. His figure was athletic and he looked cool. Although his brows could do with a trim. He was still pretty handsome. I was guessing 18 as he looked younger than the rest of us. His head was in his lap and he looked angry and upset at the same time. I guess I couldn't blame him. Looking friends and family in a blink of an eye.

Terrence had pale skin and grey eyes. His hair was in a crew cut and it was a dark blonde colour. He had a more solemn look on his face and what striked me was his very muscular build. He also had a slight beard which made him look maybe 25.

Peter had lightly tanned skin and brown eyes. He had his dark black hair in a taper cut. He had one of the widest smiles I have ever seen which didn't look fake. He had a regular build with maybe a bit of muscle coming through. 

"Where am I?" I asked more boldly

There was an awkward silence in the group.

"We don't know." Said Terrence

"All the Minute Man told me was it was somewhere in the future but he never told me where." Said Carmen. She had an American accent. South. Maybe Alabama.

"Really? He didn't even tell me that. Lousy bastard." Terrence mumbled. His accent was Scottish. Edinburgh.

"Peter, what did he tell you since he gave you money." Said Carlos in a low mumble. South America. Columbia.

"He said the same thing to me as he did Carmen. All he said was that we were somewhere in the future but it had been broken up and humanity was now cowering behind walls." Was Peter's reply. North America, New York.

"Why are we behind a wall? What could mankind be hiding from?" I asked

"I have no idea. We could ask around after Charlotte recovers." Said Carmen while looking at me sympathetically.

We went silent before I broke the silence.

"How did the Minute Man find you?" I asked

Everyone looked down as if they didn't want to speak about it.

I instantly felt terrible. We had just had in a near death experience and they probably didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" I gushed before Terrence cut me off.

"It's fine. I was in a hiking around the base of the Andes when I came across a bear. I guess I made too much of a racket and the thing was hungry and pissed off. It started chasing me but I tripped and twisted my ankle. It was about to pounce on me until 'he' showed up and I woke up here."

There was another silence before Carmen piped in. 

"I have an allergy to wasps. I was out with friends in the countryside when I was almost stung. I have a severe allergy so if it did sting me, I would've died as there were no payphones or service in the area. Before I was stung, he appeared and Bing bang boom, I arrived here." 

We were looking around our group to see who would talk next.

Silence. 

So I broke it.

"I was on a plane to London from Shanghai after going on holiday to see some friends for new year. The plane collided with another plane and the whole thing was going to go down in flames until this Minute Man arrived." I said

I had to lie. These guys couldn't know who I really was. I don't know how well they'd react if I told them I worked for a spy agency so I decided to tell them half truths.

In all honesty, I was still slightly shaken. I have been parachuting out of a plane before but never had I been in a plane that had crashed and been that close to death. I have had guns pressed to my head and knives to my throat but I knew how to get out of that situation. Never have I felt so powerless that some entity that was out of this world have to help me.

Who was this man anyway? Did he do this for a living? My thoughts were broken by Peter.

"I was cliff diving with friends. It was in an unknown place so we wouldn't have known that the water hid some pretty sharp rocks. Anyways, I went face first towards the rocks when... you know what happens next." Said Peter quietly.

We all turned to Carlos who we expected to start telling us his story. Instead, we were met with a timid looking guy. He had tucked his head into his knees before looking up with tears in his eyes.

"It's weird how we're just talking about our near death experiences like nothing happened. How can you guys do it?"

"You don't have to tell us if you..." Terrence started

"Us? We've only just met and already we're playing happy families?" Pah. Why do I need to tell you? I don't even know you!" He yelled

"Calm down. I know we've just seen the impossible but-" Peter tried to reason

"But what? I want to go home!" He yelled

"Well you can't, so either trust us or piss off!" Terrence yelled

"Fine. I'll find my way around without you, fucking morons!" Carlos snarled before standing up and walking off.

Carmen went to stand up and go after him but Peter shook his head.

"Don't bother. He doesn't want to know us. There's no point in comforting him." Peter said quietly.

I just watched the scene unfold. 

Then it hit me.

I wasn't going to see my friends ever again. Marie, Mark, Clara, Gina, Thalia, Zack, Ellen. All gone.

The work I had just done, the people I have saved. Gone.

University. No more.

That cute guy who sits behind me in lectures. Gone.

All of these emotions started welling up until I couldn't take it anymore.

It was quite at first. Then it became louder. I was sobbing uncontrollably. Letting out all of these new emotions.

The three survivors looked at me with sympathy. Carmen rushed over to me and engulfed me into a hug.

"I know, sweetie. I know." She whispered 

Never had I felt so weak. I was crying openly and the rest of these guys hadn't shed a tear. They had just been through a similar thing but they were able to remain strong.

I was a spy. I was damn good at it but now, it was like a mask was sliding off. Showing my true emotions.

I was always happy at base. No matter what. I never openly cried. I laughed, shown parts of my anger, shouted, cheered but never had I cried in front of people.

It didn't make me special. I'm not good at hiding my emotions but crying is a different matter all together. It leaves me feeling vulnerable and numb and when that happens, I prefer to be alone. 

The hugs and words of comfort snapped me back to reality. I suddenly felt myself stop crying. 

No. I can't shed anymore tears for living. I had come so fucking close to death and here I am in another life crying because I hadn't died.

A smile started to spread across my lips. These people were now my family. I had to appreciate them and treat them like my new friends as they were just as confused.

I wiped my eyes on my sleeve.

"How about we explore the area before it gets dark? You know, look for a hotel, grab a bite to eat?" I spoke up

Peter stood up and offered me his hand.

"Good thinking. You alright now?" He asked

I nodded.

He didn't need to ask me what was wrong. The three of them seemed to understand without me saying anything.

We all stood up and started making our way down the hill. 

That was the beginning of my new life with my new family.

I wasn't going to look back.

*Around a year ago, Tesco (a supermarket chain) was found to have horse meat in their 'beef burgers'.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

A/N:

Thank you so much for reading this.

Comments and criticism is always handy!


	2. Chapter two

As our group made it's way down the hill, our conversations were focused on one thing.

What this future was like.

So far, we had seen trees, grass, flowers and the town we were heading towards.

The town was huge but I couldn't see anything in detail. I could also see the large white walls surrounding the town.

"What could be outside those walls?" Peter asked

"Dunno. Could be some kind of infection that broke out and turned every human infected into zombies." Terrence suggested

"A deadly infection that has wiped out most of the human race, perhaps. Zombies, no chance. There would have to be some kind of super virus genetically modified by scientists to make an organism that causes a human to die before restarting their central nervous system and making these corpses have an appetite for flesh." Said Carmen

Peter, Terrence and I looked at Carmen as if she had sprouted three heads. How could she know all of that unless she researched it and memorized all of that information into her head.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" I asked slowly

"I watched The Walking Dead." Carmen replied simply

"I don't remember Rick 'n the crew talking about that in any of the episodes." Said Terrence

" Remember that episode with the CDC. Y'know, with the doctor who made his wife turn to see the effects the virus had on the brain? That's where I got that conclusion." Said Carmen

"On the topic of TV shows, do you guys think they still have TV's?" Peter asked

I shrugged.

"Maybe they have holograms." I replied

"That would be so cool!" Peter exclaimed

I could now see the town in a little more detail. The buildings looked old fashioned as did the streets and roads. There didn't seem to be any cars. Only horse and cart.

"Are you sure we're in the future? It looks less developed than I was expecting." I said while scanning the town below.

"You never know. It could be like one of the Districts in The Hunger Games. What if the Hunger Games comes true and we've been entered to fight to the death or something?" Carmen said

"So, the huge walls are there to stop us from going into other districts?" Peter asked

"Yep. I bet we're in district twelve!" Carmen said

We all burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that means we might get to bump into Josh Hutchison baking bread!" I laughed

"Oh my gosh, Liam Hemsworth might be down there too. Y'know, looking all sullen and dreamy before..." Carmen trailed off into her fantasy world.

"Hey, let's not forget, Jennifer Lawrence might be down there, eh," Terrence nudged Peter

"What I would do to get close to her." Peter said dreamily

Our group was now approaching the town. We could already start to see people and already, we felt out of place.

Their clothing was very conservative which made Carmen blush as she was wearing mid thigh length shorts and a black vest.

"We stick out like sore thumbs." I murmured

"Yeah, especially with you and Carmen. Along with Peter who looks like a pineapple under the sea." Terrence laughed

"Not cool, dude. Not cool." Peter glowered

"I really shouldn't have dyed my hair." I groaned

Before I left Shanghai, I decided to give myself a new look by dying my hair peroxide blonde and dying the ends of my hair a dark pink.

During the mission, I had dyed my hair a mousy blonde but after the mission, I had to change my hair colour so I wouldn't be recognised by anyone who may have been associated with the gang.

As soon as we got into the town, we all found that our predictions were correct.

Our group received very strange looks from passers by. Carmen for her outfit, Peter for his. I was getting stared at for my clothing and hair. Terrence was the only one they seemed to over look. His base mountain hiking gear looked normal (in this environment) so he was left alone.

People were either pointing at us or avoiding us like the plague. After a while, we had gotten used to the attention we had attracted.

"Should we try and find some place to stay?" Terrence asked

"Yeah. Maybe we can find some answers as to where we are." I piped in

"First, can we buy something that makes us look less, um, strange." Said Carmen as someone wolf whistled her

I shot a glare in the direction of the whistle. I took off my coat and handed it to Carmen.

"It might cover you a bit more." I said

Carmen nodded and put the coat on leaving me in my oversized shirt and pyjama bottoms. I had put my glasses in my bag as I only need to wear glasses for reading.

As we walked about, I observed the clothing everyone was wearing. It was simplistic and looked easy to move about in. The women wore blouses with either long skirts or trousers. Some women wore waistcoats or cardigans. Their hair was also done simply. Down, platted, in a bun, in a ponytail, etc.

"What are they wearing?" Said a woman to another

"I didn't know hair could go that colour!" Said another making a reference to my hair.

"That one next to the girl with the colourful hair has a different look to him. Is he Asian?" Muttered another

"How about the girl behind them. The brown haired one. She's showing so much leg." Said another in disgust

I guess we were like a freak show to them. Everyone noticed us and damn, it was uncomfortable.

Luck hit us.

There was a market straight ahead.

Clusters of stalls with white canvas roofs stretched over wooden frames stood not too far away from us.

Peter spoke up.

"We should try and find a place that sells clothes in the market. Then, we find a restroom or other area to change into, then we find a place to stay for the night. After that, we'll think about that afterwards. Sound good?"

We all nodded.

"I have the money so I guess I'm buying everything."

Again, we nodded.

I honestly didn't care about what outfit Peter was going to get me. I just wanted the staring and muttering to stop. I was getting used to it but that doesn't mean that I liked it.

Our group meandered its way around the stalls. Some were selling bread, some were selling vegetables. One stall was selling stew that was deemed 'the best in Trost.'

"Trost. That's what this place is called." I murmured to the others.

"How do you know?" Terrence asked while eyeing some rancid meat being sold for 'a bargain'.

I pointed at the stew place.

Terrence was about to say something when Carmen pointed at a stall in the distance.

"Hey guys, that place over there is selling clothes!"

We made a beeline for the stall.

Carmen was right. The stall was selling all kinds of clothing. Blouses, skirts, trousers, jumpers. The clothes looked dull in colour but the material was in good condition.

The stall owner eyed us warily. She was old and wrinkled and seemed to be blind in one eye. Her lips were thin and the area around her lips had a red ring around it from her constantly licking her lips. Her grey hair had been pulled back into a tight bun causing the skin around her eyes to tighten.

She seemed to be murmuring under her breath. Either constant reminders to herself or she was slagging us off. It didn't matter. What did matter was the clothes she was selling.

"Excuse me, um, d'you have any things you might think fit me and my friends?" Peter asked

Carmen leaned in behind him and whispered:

"My friends and I."

Peter turned around and shot a glare at her.

"Now's not the time for Mein Fëhrer to be whispering corrections in my ear." Peter growled.

Talk about harsh. Then again, it's been a stressful two hours. Temperaments will run short if we're not careful. Not to say that we should tiptoe around each other, we should just try not to get on each other's nerves.

The woman stared at us before looking down at the table where the different clothes lay and picking up items of clothing from different piles.

"I make these myself, y'know. These ain't gonna be cheap cos of the quality 'n time 'n effort I put into making these." She muttered

Her voice sounded like a creaking door. It had a sly undertone but at the same time, it sounded worn and tired.

I assumed she was talking to herself as her voice was so low and quiet. Plus she wasn't really looking at us.

"Um, how much would all of this cost?" Peter asked nervously

The woman put the folded clothing that she had picked out for us into four separate piles before looking up.

"Seven." She said

Seven coins? Is that all? If I remember correctly, she said it was going to be pricey.

Peter pulled out a leather pouch from his pocket and counted out seven bronze coins and handed them to her.

The woman put the coins into her pouch and handed us a pile of clothes each.

"Thank you." Peter murmured

"Don't we get carrier bags?" Peter asked

The woman glowered at Peter.

"I sell clothes. I don't sell bags. We have done business, now go away." She snapped

The four of us looked at each other in disbelief as to how rude this woman was. Then again, by the way we were dressed, I guess she wouldn't want to be caught doing business with us.

Our group made it's way outside the market place to find a suitable place to change.

"So what do we do after we find a place to stay? Do we find a job or something? 'Cos now that I think about it, we can't live in a hotel forever." Said Carmen

"We'll think about that later. Right now, I just wanna get these people to stop staring at us." Said Terrence eying some local people stopping to look at us.

I noticed a building with a sign hanging from it. It was an inn. We could stay there for the night.

"Hey, guys. There's an inn over there." I said while pointing at the building.

The others turned their heads and saw the inn across the road.

"Nice work, Charlotte." Said Peter as he patted my shoulder and gestured us to cross the road with him.

We crossed the road and walked into the inn.

As soon as we stepped inside, I was hit with waves of nausea as I inhaled the heavy stench of damp, piss and ale all mixed together. Carmen and Peter looked equally disgusted whereas Terrence seemed unaffected by the heavy atmosphere.

Even the dump of a place I was investigating in Shanghai that had a dealers den smelt better than this.

The inn wasn't too heavily crowded but we still had to push past people to find the inn keeper's desk at the back of the inn.

As we made our way over to the desks, I noticed all of the people at the tables seemed to be immune to the smell and were able to eat and drink.

"God, this place stinks." Carmen murmured in my ear.

"Hey, love, how about a drink?" Some guy shouted from one of the tables.

We ignored him as we clung to each other to stop us from being separated.

Once we made it to the front desk, we were greeted by a large guy with black shaggy hair, a bushy beard and mating caterpillars for eyebrows. He looked like Hagrid on steroids as his sleeves were rolled up and I noticed that his arms were very muscular.

"Wha' d'you want?" He asked as he glanced up at Terrence from behind the desk.

He had a deep growl for a voice. It definitely suited his look.

Terrence coughed.

"Do you have any rooms? It's just my friends and I have been travelling and we need a place to stay." Terrence replied

The man turned around and grabbed a key from a peg and handed it to Terrence.

"Upstairs. 'T's the one on the far lef'. Can't miss it." He said

"Thank you."

We turned around and made our way towards the stairs that were to our right.

We climbed the stairs. The creaking sound that was emitted after each step made me cringe as the stairs sounded worn and like they'd collapse if we stepped too heavily onto one of the steps.

Once we got onto the landing of the second floor, we made a left and walked to the end of the corridor. Terrence put the key into the door and unlocked it.

We stepped into the room. It had two double beds, a desk and a questionable pile of straw in the corner of the room.

"Home, sweet home." Peter said before closing the door behind him.

I lay my clothes and bag onto the bed and looked at what the woman had given me. A white button up blouse with elbow length sleeves, tight black trousers and a grey waistcoat. I guess my shoes were ok to wear around town.

After laying my clothes on the bed, I investigated the room a bit more while the others inspected their clothes.

"They have no sense of style." Said Peter as he held up a mossy green shirt with disgust.

I walked over to the straw pile while the others inspected their clothes. I squatted down and saw a dark mass. A rat perhaps? Gross. Like I'd want a rat for a roommate.

Curiosity made me lean in to get a closer look. I reluctantly poked the straw and felt that the straw was damp.

A leaky roof, maybe?

I smelt my finger and gagged. It smelt of stale piss.

"Fucking hell!" I yelled as I fell backwards while wiping my finger on my trousers.

"What is it?" Carmen asked

"There's only a breading ground for AIDS in the corner of the room!" I screamed as I scurried backwards.

"Are you saying...that's...a toilet?" Peter winced

"I ain't taking a shit in that!" Terrence said in disgust

"Charming, Terrence." Said Carmen sarcastically

"What? I was just saying that I wouldn't pull down my trousers and-"

"That's enough!" Carmen snapped

Carmen looked at the straw pile before looking away in disgust.

"Does anyone have hand sanitizer?" I asked

"I have wet wipes. My friends are messy eaters so I always bring them in my bag." Said Carmen

"Cheers." I said as I stood up and walked over to Carmen who was going through her shoulder bag.

She then pulled out a packet of wet wipes before handing a wipe to me. I started vigorously wiping my hands while still staring at the straw.

"I guess humanity forgot what a toilet and dignity is." Said Peter

"Or maybe people like to get kinky and pretend to be horses." I jested

Terrence snorted.

"I can imagine that. Hey, maybe there's a whip hidden in the room." He replied

I laughed but Carmen and Peter looked at Terrence with wide eyes and open mouths. I guess they weren't into sick humour.

I noticed the awkwardness in the room and swiftly changed the subject.

"Shall we get changed and go down for a drink?" I asked

"That's a good idea." Said Carmen

I've never felt the need to feel self conscious when changing so I took off my top and scarf and put my blouse on and buttoned it up. I then took my pyjama bottoms off and put on the trousers and I then put my waistcoat on.

I sat down on the bed and put my shoes back on. The material of the clothes was surprisingly comfortable and easy to move in.

I put my hair into a loose ponytail and turned around to the group who were pretty much ready.

Carmen was wearing a loose fitting cream shirt and ankle length navy skirt and a black cardigan.

Peter was wearing his green shirt and brown trousers with a blue jacket.

Terrence wore a long sleeved blue shirt with black trousers.

Peter looked down at his outfit.

"I look an idiot." He said huffily

To be honest, he looked like an Asian Peter Pan. But I wasn't going to say this because that would be mean.

"No Peter, you look great." I said enthusiastically

"I just want a drink." Said Terrence

We walked outside the room and locked the door before walking down the stairs into the crowded bar area. We found a table and sat down.

There was a clock on the wall that said that it was only midday and yet there were already drunks in the bar.

"I'll go get some drinks. What do you guys want?" Peter asked

"Anything alcoholic." Was Terrence's response

"I'll have the same." I said

"Hey, aren't you a little young to be drinking alcohol?" Carmen asked

I shook my head.

"The legal drinking age in the UK is eighteen and I think it's a lot more lenient here." I said as I spotted a group of sixteen year olds having pints with their lunch.

"What makes you say that?" Carmen asked

I tilted my head towards the group of drinking youths. She spotted them and shook her head.

"Oh. I'll let you off." She said

I simpered.

"Alcohol for you too?" Peter asked

"No. Get me something non alcoholic, please." She said

Peter walked over to the bar.

"So, now we have a place to stay and a change of clothes, what are we gonna do about a job?" Carmen asked

Terrence shrugged.

"We haven't seen enough of the area to have come up with job ideas." He said

"We could work here and spend our years sweeping floors." I suggested

"Like hell I'd work with Hagrid over there." Said Terrence

Carmen and I started laughing.

"You noticed it too?" I asked

"Like hell I wouldn't." Replied Terrence

Peter returned with the drinks. Pint glasses for Terrence, Peter and I and a glass of water for Carmen.

I took a sip.

It wasn't the best ale I had tasted, but it wasn't the worst. It was alright.

"God, this stuff tastes like piss." Terrence choked

"Have you tasted piss before?" Peter asked

Terrence shot him a glare.

"Anyway, should we have a look 'round after this?" Carmen asked

"You're eager to look around." Commented Peter

Carmen sighed.

"In case you haven't noticed, we are in a different time. Of course I'm gonna want a look at everything goin' on."

Terrence nodded.

"Plus, we need to get our bearings. I mean if we don't-"

Terrence was cut off by a bell toll.

The people in the inn all started standing up and going outside.

The four of us looked around in confusion.

Why were the people in the inn going outside?

What was so important about the bell toll?

"What the hell's going on?" I asked

We abandoned our drinks and walked outside. The midday sun hung lazily in the azure sky and there was very little cloud in the sky except for the odd speck of white here and there.

The crowds were staying on the pavement and were crowding around the road.

We walked over to some wooden boxes and stood on them to get a closer look as the crowd started mumbling like angry bees.

"There are less of them than before. That's more of our taxes down the gutter." Said one

I could see men and women in green cloaks on horseback riding through the streets. Some had bandages on various body parts. Some had missing limbs. Others wore expressions of regret and others looked empty of all emotion and were staring at the ground. There were men and women in carriages who looked like they had failed at everything. What disturbed me the most was the carriage piled with bodies wrapped up in white sheets.

Dead bodies wrapped in sheets.

"Ha, look, they can't even make eye contact with us!" Another member of the crowd yelled

Survey Corps? The military? Of course, every dystopian future has to have its military but those books have military personnel who oppress the common folk and thrust fear upon them. This military was defeated. They looked like a lost cause as they trundled through the streets. It was depressing how they were openly being mocked for having members of their organization killed in action.

But with what and against who?

"The titans sure got them this time." Said another

"Titans, like the Tennessee Titans?" Peter asked dumbly

Carmen elbowed him.

"Now's not the time." She hissed

Who were these titans?

My eyes widened.

The Minute Man told Peter that mankind was hiding behind a wall.

From 'Titans'.

That meant that something behind those walls were dangerous and wanted to destroy mankind.

Or maybe it was a rebel group who were going against the government that were nicknamed Titans?

I then realized something else.

The Minute Man told me that I could save more lives. Could this be what he meant? To join the military?

I turned to see the others in deep thought which in turn made me think.

Why did the Minute Man save them if he told me that I was special?

What could they have done to deserve to have a second chance at life?

I looked up at the passing troops.

"If the Minute Man gave me a second chance to save lives, then I'm going to do it." I whispered to myself.

"So, he told you that too?" Terrence murmured in my ear.

Shit, he had heard me.

"Yeah, why?" I asked

"I'm curious, what did you do that was so important that he felt the need to send you here?"

Shit. Shit. Shit.

What should I tell him?

The truth?

Or lies?


End file.
